Departing Thoughts

In 6 hours I'm off to State College to compete in one of those memorable lifetime events. The last time I did something like this was in Hawaii, 6 years ago - I ended up qualifying for a World Competition of the Xterra off-road triathlons -- and I felt the same way leaving for that as I do now. Nervous, anxious, a little scared, apprehensive (am I really ready??) and excited at the same time. It's an odd feeling - one that makes the head spin with zillions of thoughts if you allow it. 8 solid months of serious training is about to be put to the test. One thing I learned between Hawaii and now is to not think too much about it and just savor each moment, which is exactly the plan. I'm about to bake some Root cookies for me and Donna to enjoy as we laze around watching the racers roll in this evening and tomorrow before the first stage. We'll be mingling with some of the nations best endurance mountain bikers - I'm humbled at the thought. But vacations have another meaning -- to relax and unwind. And my idea of unwinding is on the bike seat (or in my kayak). So there's no doubt this will be a worthwhile vacation. If Donna got her laptop working, I'll be making updates to the blog. If she didn't, I'll update you next Sunday. All in all, we're off to see the Wizard - the wonderful wizard of oz!